Purify
by chuechu
Summary: Issei has managed to distance himself from the supernatural world for a while now. However, he can no longer stay away because one of his childhood nightmares has come back to haunt him. On top of that, he has been given the task to create peace between the three major factions. Can Issei create peace, and find a way to stop his personal nightmare before the next great war breaks.
1. Oblivious

**Alright, so I finally decided to start my first fanfiction here. The first thing I immediately thought of was to try something unique. Then I scrolled through all the stories from the DxD section. Over and over again, I see either a main pairing with Rias or a harem. As much as I like Rias, and there is a lot I can do with her (considering she has little backstory). I have to admit; I am getting slightly bored of reading those. Thus my idea of having a non-main Rias pairing, and non-harem.**

 **-chuechu**

Issei's Pov

An ominous wind coldly blew on a dark morning. Most onlookers would think of it as an increase in wind chill because it was approaching winter. Sometimes, I wonder if I can go back to the times when I was as oblivious as the rest of my schoolmates. For me, it became easy to sense what the others could not. An impending amount of devil energy emitted from the old school house.

"Issei, over here," ushered Motohama and Matsuda. These two are known throughout the academy as the perverted duo. For one reason or another, even with their attitudes, I still consider them as friends.

"We found the prime spot, so want to come check it out with us?" Matsuda asked with a sly grin on his face.

"You know I'm not into this stuff," I responded flatly.

"Are you saying when a woman flashes you won't get excited," Matsuda challenged.

"Give me a break," I complained, with a slight flush on my face. "Anyone would in that situation. I have to go somewhere anyway," I lied in order to excuse myself.

In this ignorant world, I am known as Hyoudou Issei. However, my left arm wields the "Boosted Gear". This particular sacred gear is where Ddraig, one of the heavenly dragon, resides in. With all the potential power I have, I am surprised I have not been killed or targeted to join one of the three factions yet for a long time. I doubt that I will remain this way forever as one of the factions have already begun to make their move. I gazed over at the old school house and felt the air around grow colder.

Rias's Pov

"Do you think he will suit the role Rias?" asked a fairly tall girl with long black hair. Her violet eyes were seductive, however, I suppose it makes sense since she was half fallen angel. The woman in front of me was Akeno Himejima, my queen. Half fallen angel, half devil, and earned the nickname "Priestess of Thunder".

"I say keep an eye on him, but be ready to bring him here anytime on my command," I replied calmly. The one we were talking about was none other than the Red Dragon Emperor. "It may be sooner than you think Akeno," I warned her. "Times are getting desperate for us."

Issei's Pov

As the day progressed, I stopped worrying about the devils from the old schoolhouse and became more preoccupied at keeping my dignity. We exited the chemistry lab, where the perverted duo used some interesting tactics to draw everyone's attention to them.

"Why do you hang out with these two?" asked Katase with slight confusion.

"With your status, you could easily hang out with guys like Kiba," commented Murayama.

"Well, someone needs to keep an eye on them," I joked. The two split up from us as we entered our respective change rooms. "I'm surprised you didn't follow them, I noticed.

"We didn't want a repeat of what happened in the chemistry lab," Matsuda replied simply. I looked at him noticing splashes of burn marks on his left arm and agreed with him.

"Hey!" Motohama exclaimed suddenly. "Is that a cross you're wearing? You're not even Christian." I looked down and saw my silver cross shaped pendant hanging from my neck.

"My childhood friend gave it to me, so I can remember her while she's in England," I explained.

"Her?" Motohama questioned suspiciously.

"How are her three sizes?" Matsuda added curiously. "Speaking of which, why are you the only ones the girls are friendly to? You definitely lack the passion me and Motohama have for girls."

"You guys are hopeless," I sighed shaking my head.

When the day came to an end, I said goodbye to the two boys. "You need to move on from your past so you can use your balance breaker," Ddraig suggested suddenly.

"It's too much of a risk in my opinion," I dismissed the idea. There was no way I was going to try balance breaker ever again after what happened last time.

"You can gain more than double our current power," Ddraig persuaded.

"Even with just the boosted gear, I can handle myself against devils, fallen angels or angels," I finished hoping Ddraig would get the hint that I'm enraged. An ominous wind blew past me. A feeling similar to the one I felt from school crept up to me once again. "Speaking of devils Ddraig," I started casually. "Are you going to ignore the one stalking us currently.

"Ara, ara, so you noticed me," a girl spoke suddenly as she appeared into view. "My name is Akeno, Rias Gremory's queen, and you are coming with me.


	2. Gremories

**I don't own anything from High School DxD**

 **Compared to the last one, the next few chapters will be longer ones. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **-chuechu**

A magic circle appeared underneath my feet, and suddenly transported me to the old school house. Out of habit, I almost activated my boosted gear until I heard a voice say "relax, we aren't here to kill you." I looked around and saw that the voice belonged to the other member in the room. She looked to be a fairly attractive woman with long red hair. "My name is Rias Gremory," she said. "I am Rias Gremory," she introduced. "I am sorry to bring you here on such short notice, but if the situation was not so dire, I would have left things as normal.

"For now, I'll accept your apology," I told her cautiously. "I do not wish for enemies anyways. Please tell me the situation, so I can decide if I want to help you or not."

"I'll cut right to the chase," Rias started quickly. "I want to reincarnate you into a devil. A devil named Riser Phoenix, one from another major bloodline, wants to marry me. Both families agreed to this because we need more pure blooded devils. The Great war between the three factions killed off sixty-nine of seventy-two pure blooded devil leaders. The Sitri clan, along with us and Phenex are the only three pure blooded devil families with leaders left. However, the only issue we have with this is that I'll need to leave my household for a snotty upperclassman. We then proposed to settle this with a rating game. A rating game gets us to use our evil pieces against each other. If I win, I get to stay with my peerage, and if he wins, I go with him. Besides Akeno, I only have a knight and a rook, while he has a full set. In other words, I am getting you to reincarnate because I am desperate. If you become my pawns, then the gap between the two peerages would not be too unreasonable."

"I am sorry, but I don't think I can reincarnate into a devil," I apologize ahead of time. "First off, this," I started as I took off my cross and showed it to the shocked devils. "It's a gift from an old friend of mine, so I prefer not to take it off. If I become a devil, then I can't wear it." I felt the other two devils back off slightly, glaring at me in a hostile manner. That was not too big of a surprise, as I knew that crosses were dangerous to devils. "The second, is I've had a shaky past with devils before. In fact, it was because of them that I sacrificed my left arm to Ddraig. Rias and Akeno both looked taken aback by the sudden news.

"Those must have been strays, not all devils are that bad," Rias explained trying to convince me."

"That's what I guessed, and that is why I want you to prove me that not all devils are like them," I said. "However, remember that my outlook on devils is not well. Any small mistake, and you might have engraved my hatred for devils," I added on darkly. "Regarding the Riser situation, I will help you recruit one or two devils in order to even out the playing field. That is the most I can do for you considering the circumstances."

"That's fine by us," Akeno replied.

"However, we do have a small request for you," Rias added suddenly. "Will you join the Occult Research Club"

"I suppose that is fine," I accepted.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you tomorrow during the club meetings," Rias dismissed.

"Guess we walked for nothing," Ddraig complained as we walked out of the schoolhouse.

"I suppose we might as well finish our shopping errand," I suggested. "We'll have an excuse for returning late too." We went to the local mart and bought our groceries, and left fairly quickly. "I let out a huge sigh as I dragged the bags with me. "Hey!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Who's that in front of us." There was a small girl with blonde hair. She wore a church outfit with a maidenhood. She had a confused expression and was looking around as if trying to find something. I went up to her and asked, "do you need anything?"

"I'm sorry, but have we met before," the young girl asked tilting her head slightly to the left.

"I don't think so," I replied. "I'm Hyoudou Issei, and who might you be."

"I'm Asia Argento, pleased to meet you," she greeted politely.

"I was wondering if you needed any help as you looked troubled," I said concerned. "Are you trying to find something?"

"Yes", she replied. "I am looking for the church close to here, however, I can't seem to find it."

"How about I accompany you," I suggested. Judging from her holy aura, even if it is faint, she's from the church side. From my experience, this territory belongs to devils and fallen angels making it dangerous for Asia to go by herself.

"I think I'll be okay by myself, and it's not right of me to drag you into this," Asia replied.

"Fine, then think of me as a new friend who is helping you out since you are new around here," I persuaded trying to change my mind. I was quite worried for the maiden because I felt an evil presence looming over the church. With it being abandoned for so long, it's most likely filled with plenty of fallen angels.

"What's a friend," Asia asked suddenly.

I was taken aback by how she didn't know such a simple word. "Well, a friend is someone you care for, hang out with and usually share the same interests," I described awkwardly. I had never expected that I would be describing the concept of "friend", to someone who looked to be around the same age as me.

"So that's what it means," she muttered seemingly amazed. "Okay then," she accepted finally. We walked in silence as we headed to the church. A little boy sprinted down the street and tripped. His left knee was bruised, and he started wailing. Asia wandered over and knelt down. She put a hand over the boy's knee, and a green light shone over it. The bruise vanished as if it hadn't been there in the first place. Asia used a calm and soothing voice in order to calm down the boy. "Sorry about that," Asia said sheepishly. "It's a bad habit of mine."

"I don't mind," I said. "The church is lucky to have you. Someone who not only wields a sacred gear, but also use it to help others," I complimented.

"You're wrong!" Asia yelled suddenly. "When I was small, the older bishops saw my sacred gear, and immediately moved me to one of the bigger churches. From there, I used my sacred gear to heal the wounds and scars of those who believed in the church. Then one day, I accidentally healed a devil. Everyone in the church looked at me in horror. People started thinking I was a witch. In the end, I was excommunicated, and I was sent to this abandoned church." I see, so that's why you never knew what the word friend meant. You were utilized only because of your sacred gear, and not your natural talent. Once you made one small mistake, you were cast away like a child's broken toy. Out of all the people you've met, there was not a single one that you could proudly call your friend.

When we reached the church, I suddenly called out to her. "Do you want to walk around the city tomorrow," I asked. "We can hang out, go to the park and the arcade.

"Sure," Asia replied with a bright smile. "See you Issei."

"Bye Asia," I said. As I walked back home, bags in hand, I passed a food stand. An angry customer tapped three times as he tried to signal an order to the busy owner of the cart.

The next day, Motohama and Matsuda pressured me to come with them to Matsuda's house. "Oh come on," Motohama complained. "We're not even spying on the girls.

"I told you I had something to do after school," I sighed out exasperatedly.

"You already used that excuse yesterday," Matsuda protested. "Speaking of which, what's going on. You've been acting unusual recently."

"Maybe he's decided to hang out less with you guys," Katase suggested.

"I guess he took our advice," Murayama added.

"Give me a break you guys," I begged. "I've got a meeting with the ORC."

"Did you join because of Rias," Matsuda teased.

"Of course he would, that's the only reason anyone would join the club," Motohama added. As the comedy duo continued to joke around, I slipped past them, and headed to the ORC meaning place.

"Sorry, I'm late," I apologized.

"No worries, I also just recently got here," a handsome boy said. "I'm Yuuto Kiba, and that's Koneko Toujou on the couch."

"Hyoudou Issei," I introduced myself. "Nice to meet you."

"Alright," Rias announced. "Now that introductions are out of the way; we have a few main issues we must discuss. First things first, Issei did not join us as a devil which I'm sure most of you had noticed. It is our job to change his outlook on devils. Now, Kiba has spotted some hostile fallen angels in the city. The motives are not clear yet, but Akeno has come up with a theory."

"I think that the fallen angels are after a sacred gear," Akeno explained in an unusually serious voice. "Koneko helped me detect the sacred gears near the area. The first is the boosted gear, which is wielded by Issei. The second is the twilight healing."

"Do you know where the fallen angels are at now," I interrupted suddenly.

"I think I saw them in an abandoned church," Kiba answered. I got up from my chair and headed out the door.

"Where are you going," Rias asked. I left without answering her question. I needed to go find Asia.


	3. To Asia we Go

**I don't own anything from Highschool DxD**

 **From now on, I'm thinking of posting every Saturday or Sunday. I suddenly got added to jazz band, so I am much busier than before. I'll try to post a new chapter every Saturday and Sunday. To clarify, I meant that most of the leaders of the clans died instead of all pure blooded devils in general. Anyways, here is chapter 3, I hope you enjoy.**

 **-chuechu**

I rushed across the hectic streets and headed for the church. Sure it was reckless, but I had to reach Asia as soon as possible. The fact that there were hostile fallen angels in the church was an issue. There was no way Asia could win in a fight. She's not a natural fighter. "Partner, do you think this is okay," Ddraig asked. "Can you take down multiple fallen angels by yourself without using balance breaker."

"I have to try," I replied desperately. "Asia's a good person, way better than me. If I don't help her out, I won't feel right. I panted as I finally reached the church. An eerie presence looked over the church. The door opened with a creak as I cautiously peered into the room. Many of the mosaics were shattered and littered on the floor. The walls looked tattered and burned. Suddenly, a voice rang throughout the church.

"Well what do we have here!" an overly energetic voice boomed out. "Are you a bishop or a priest, no. Are you one of those shitty devils, you don't seem like one. Ah," he snapped his finger and screamed out. "You're a friend of that little girl. She's downstairs in the basement probably dead by now. Anyway, how could I be so rude? My name is Freed, the one who's sending you to your grave." With that, he leaped towards me. I activated boosted gear and took cover behind a bench. "Boost." Freed cracked the bench in front of me, and I had to scurry away to a different spot. "Boost." "Will you stop running, you're only going to delay your death," Freed complained. "Boost."

"I'm just getting started," I taunted.

"Alright, the I'll get serious too," Freed declared. The sword in his hand started glowing ghost white. Three boosts should have been enough, even with his special abilities. He lunged forward aiming for my leg. I used my boosted gear to block the hit, however, the blade passed through and hit my left arm I felt like I was going to collapse, but instead, I just staggered back. "You lived a hit from my "Shimmering Midnight," Freed praised. "Impressive, but it's not enough. It passes through anything that acts like a shield. Too bad you didn't bring a sword. You had no chance since the beginning. He swung down with his word only to be stopped halfway. Out of nowhere, a sword intercepted his blade. Then someone kicked him in the head. It was Kiba and Koneko.

"What are you guys doing here," I questioned.

"We're here to help you," Kiba replied. "Get to the basement and stop him."

"We'll handle this one," Koneko added.

"You can't handle me you shitty devil," Freed said. As if in response, Koneko punched his gut to shut him up.

"Thanks you guys," I said as I headed downstairs. When I reached downstairs, I wish I had not. What I saw horrified me. A fallen angel was cackling at Asia. Asia was crucified and on the verge of dying. Green energy poured out of her. Her sacred gear seemed to be drained out by the fallen angel. At last, the fallen finally noticed me and laughed.

"Finally, someone has joined us!" she exclaimed. "I'm Raynare, and if you plan on saving her, you're late. I'll be nice and let you have your parting words before she perishes."

"Asia," I said softly in disbelief. Slowly she opened her eyes painfully.

"I'm sorry Issei," she apologized while wincing in pain.

"No, you don't have to apologize," I said shaking my head slightly. "I failed to protect you. There is no reason to beat yourself up."

"I'm glad I met you," Asia said warmly. "You're a good person."

"No, you're a much better person than I am!" I yelled in frustration. "You helped a boy you barely knew and healed him."

"Thank you for the compliment, and for being my friend, even if it was short," she mumbled as her voice slowly drifted off.

"Asia!" I yelled again.

"Isn't it fun to suffer," Raynare asked.

"Boost." "Are you not afraid of death," I asked with an edge in my voice.

"Boost." "I love it," Raynare laughed. "Out of control already."

"Hey partner, calm down," Ddraig advised. "You don't want history to repeat itself." Ddraig's words hit me like a truck. This was how that incident started. I didn't want to repeat that, so I stopped advancing.

"Boost." "Dragon Shot." A red ball of energy appeared on my left arm. I shot the energy aiming for Raynare's wings. However, she did not even seem fazed from that attack.

"Ah, so this is the power of twilight healing," Raynare noted, fascinated by the sacred gear already. "I was right, it was worth it, even if we went against boss's order." "Boost." I'll just have to take her out in one shot I guess.

"Meet Vacant Devourer," Raynare said as a large blade appeared in mid-air, and floated to her. She flew over and threw the blade as if it were a javelin. "Boost." I dove to the right barely avoiding the blade. "You can't keep dodging forever," Raynare taunted. I knew she was right because my arm was killing me. I guess my injuries from Freed's battle gave me a small handicap in this battle against Raynare. All I needed was one more final boost. She lunged, and nicked the edge of my wound. I howled in pain, as it was a sensitive spot. I needed to hold out a bit longer. "Max Boost." "Flare." My left hand ignited and I punched Raynare with all I could muster. "No impossible," Raynare coughed out. "I had twilight healing." I smiled weakly as I collapsed on the ground, no doubt due to the lack of blood I lost.

"Issei, are you alright." That was the first voice I heard when I opened my eyes. Everyone from the ORC was surrounding me. I could see Asia worried in front of me and I assumed she said those words. Wait a second, was that Asia. I thought she was dead. This didn't make any sense.

"We reincarnated her into a devil," Rias told him simply. "We had to get you healed, and none of us have healing abilities. That's why we had to resort to this method." Also, I want the twilight healing," she muttered to quietly for anyone to here.

"It seems like Issei has a favor to repay," Akeno said slyly.

"Actually, I don't," I replied. "You got Asia and her sacred gear. That's another powerful piece added to your peerage against Riser.

'He does have a point," Koneko mumbled.

"Anyways, there's no point being stuck in this gloomy church," I spoke as I rose from the worn out bench and headed for the exit.

The next day, I walked to school with Asia. Asia got enrolled into our school thanks to the student council president, Sona Sitri. She'd let any devils enroll into the school. As for her home, we thought the best place would be mine. It wouldn't be a smart idea leaving her alone in the church. We got along well, and I had a few spare rooms. Therefore, I volunteered to be Asia's caregiver. I highly doubt I could do more for her than providing her with the basic needs. My parents were okay with it after hearing about her past. "Thanks for everything you've done for me." Asia thanked me happily.

"No worries, we don't want another incident like this to happen again," I replied. When I opened the door to the school, I was immediately talked by Matsuda and Motohama.

"Why are you leaving us behind and hogging all the fun," Motohama whined.

"Yeah, and you have a girl before the rest of us," Matsuda added.

"Guys," I complained. "I really don't need this in the morning. Also, don't expect me to hang out with you guys after school as much because I'm busy with the ORC.

"He has finally moved on from the perverted duo," Katase chimed in.

"He's hanging out with Kiba and Rias," Murayama said. "I guess he's moving on from us."

"Ugh," I groaned. "If you keep acting like this, I might have to," I mumbled. "Come on Asia." Asia covered her mouth as if she would laugh any moment. The day progressed as normal. Matsuda, Motohama, Katase and Murayama kept bugging me. I kept showing Asia around the school and helped her with the basic things. Finally, we reached the club room at the end of the day. "Here we are," I announced to Asia. We opened the door to the clubroom and went in.


	4. Rise or Fall

**I do not own anything from high school dxd.**

 **So we finally reached the Riser arc. I'm sorry if you were looking for a good fight against Riser, but I felt it wasn't needed. Riser, most likely will not be an important character in the story. This chapter is also one after a fight and I wanted to serve something a bit different than last chapter. After this chapter, we will delve right into the Excalibur arc. That arc is most likely going to be the longest canon arc that I'm going to do. In fact, I'm excited to write it because it probably is the most important canon arc I'm using for this story. On another note, I have up to half of chapter 7 pre-written. After chapter 7 comes up, I'll see whether I can keep the updates every weekend. If not, then I'll try to make it every second weekend. However, that's not until a long time, and for now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **\- chuechu**

Koneko was sitting on the couch, looking bored like normal. Kiba sat in a chair opposite to me in the room looking out the window. Akeno was standing at the front because she was the vice president. Finally, Asia and I stood near the doorway. We were all waiting on Rias who was unusually late. The tension was building in the room and it was getting quite uncomfortable. Finally, the door opened and Rias stepped in. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized sadly. "We have an unexpected guest today."

"Or forever," a man's voice boomed out throughout the room. "You do know I'm going to win the rating game right?" Perfect, my plans going to work perfectly with his attitude.

"Who might you be?" I asked.

"I am Riser, the immortal phenex," he announced. "If you asked me this any other day, I would have burned you to ashes. I'm feeling merciful today so give thanks to me.

"You haven't even beaten Rias and her household yet," I taunted.

"I can beat them easily," Riser replied.

"Yeah, because you have eleven more people. I bet if it were five on five, Rias and her peerage would be victorious," I wagered.

"Alright, then let's make a bet," Riser challenged smugly. "If I win, you will admit that you are weaker than me, and you will praise me forever. Great, this is going to be a nightmare if Rias loses. She owes me at least ten favors if she loses.

"Okay, if I win, then Rias does not have to marry you, and you lose your "I'm the best because I'm immortal," attitude, I stated.

"Sure," he said casually. "You'll have no chance of winning anyways. I have to get going now. Rias, you should start packing your bags," he added. With that, he evaporated out of the room.

"Are you sure it's okay to bet on this," Rias asked in concern. "While it is a big help to even out the numbers, I don't think we can win. Riser's immortality could be too much for us."

"I'll find a way to deal with it," I lied. In all honesty, if no one finds out how to deal with the immortality, I would say Riser would win. "How about you start training with you peerage, I suggested. "I also need to borrow Asia because I promised her to hang out for the day."

"Asia is the one who needs the most training," Rias noted flatly.

"I already helped you out a lot," I started. "We're not exactly on the best of terms, so I can always play on Riser's side."

"Fine," she agreed. "I'll be off to train now." She and the rest of her peerage left the room leaving only Asia and me.

"Want to head to the park," I asked Asia.

The day passed quickly. We went to the park, arcade and the small stores that littered the streets. Asia seemed content and was having fun. Throughout her life, she most likely never enjoyed the feeling of joy. The best times for her would be reading the bible, and praying to God. She had helped many people with their wounds, but she did not heal herself. All she knows is healing, so that's what she does. Not treating herself has left her with a mono personality. Always happy and thankful even when death approaches her. The day started to come to an end, and we headed home. "How was it?" I asked Asia.

"It was really fun," she replied cheerfully. "Can I go with you some other time."

"Sure," I replied. Up ahead, I saw a bulky man signal for us to come over.

"Would you mind keeping an old man company while he fishes?" the man asked.

"Sure," Asia said quickly. Personally, I wouldn't have obliged so easily. The man emitted an even larger amount of fallen energy than both Freed and Raynare combined. Of course, there was no way Asia would have declined that request due to her personality.

"When a small fish bites on the line, keep it there," the man advised. "It will act as bait for the larger fish."

"Do you mind telling us your name," I asked kind of recklessly. "I mean, I'd hate to refer you to "old man" all the time.

"My name is Azazel dragon boy," the man announced.

"Azazel," I said in surprise.

"You're the leader of the fallen angels," Asia stated.

"Why'd you ask us to come over," I asked.

"First off," I am sorry for what Freed and Raynare did to you," Azazel apologized. "They went off my orders and messed with you guys."

"That is alright," I assured him. "However, they were quite a challenge.

"Azazel laughed and explained, "the more wings a fallen angel has, the more power it has. Raynare and Freed both had six wings which are a lot for fallen angels. The only ones higher are me and Kokabiel. Kokabiel at ten, and I at twelve. My heart pounded when I heard Kokabiel. Kokabiel was the person I loathed for my entire life. "Speaking of Kokabiel," Azazel started.

"Please don't speak of Kokabiel," I begged. Azazel just grinned and continued talking.

"I'm pretty sure Issei knows how much Kokabiel craves for war. With that, Kokabiel's going to do something that will rattle off the three factions to start the Great war again. Knowing Kokabiel, he's probably started his plan already." I slammed my fishing pole onto the ground.

"Issei, are you alright," Asia asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I replied. "Kokabiel is one person I never want to see in my entire life.

"You two should get going and prepare for Kokabiel's attack," Azazel suggested.

"You aren't going to help us," I asked in disbelief.

"For us fallen angels, we act as individuals," Azazel explained. "We're unique in this way. I am their leader and yet I don't do much except be their representative. That's why I didn't do anything when Freed and Raynare disobeyed my orders. They definitely weren't the first. Maybe it's because we fell for different reasons, but I'm not sure that's the cause.

"Why did you fall?" Asia asked curiously.

"I prefer not to talk about it," Azazel said darkly.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "We'll get going now.

"One last thing," I started. "While we're here, I'll ask you for a favor. Do you have anything helpful to beating Riser?"

"Well I do owe you a favor for not helping you stop Freed, Raynare, and Kokabiel," he sighed. He handed out a sword that looks similar a feather pen. The end was a sharp tooth that looked like it could pierce most materials. The feather made it look easy to equip and light.

"This is the hundred-year-old majestic piercer. It's made from phoenix tail and teeth. It ignores immortality and is a powerful sword by itself."

"Thanks, Azazel," I said as I waved goodbye. On the way back, I tried to keep a conversation going with Asia. However, it felt like having multiple conversations at once. I could only think of one thing after talking to Azazel. When would it be the perfect time to strike against Kokabiel?


	5. Triggered

**I do not own anything from Highschool DxD**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **chuechu**

Rias Pov-

It had been a week since the victorious match against Riser. The match went unexpectedly as planned. My pieces managed to beat their evil piece counterpart. The biggest challenge was their queen who took out Koneko and Asia. In the end, Akeno went down with her thanks to her self-destruct ability. Riser stood no chance against Kiba because he wielded the majestic piercer. Without Kiba and Issei, we would have never won. Ever since that day, Issei has been acting up. He started skipping school and club meetings almost daily. On the rare occasions that he does come, he seems to distance himself from us. Sona also shares the same worries that I have. "He was a wild card from the beginning," Sona had told me a few days ago. "When he didn't join you as a devil, you know something's wrong. It's bad enough he doesn't trust devils one hundred percent. On top of that, his childhood friend is most likely from the church considering he was holding a cross as a memento. That means he will probably side with the angels over us or the fallen angels. We might have to act against him and fast." I know that taking Sona's plan was a huge risk. If something in his past agitated him or another harmless thing like that, Sona's plan would push Issei away completely. If he was planning to betray us, then Sona's plan would immediately remove a big threat from the other sides. No one close to Issei, such as his friends, know what caused his sudden change in behavior. What should I do?

Issei's Pov-

I laid on my bed feeling exhausted. For the last week, I had been talking to Azazel about Kokabiel. I asked Asia to keep quiet of my conversations with Azazel, and the info on Kokabiel. From the conversations, I learned that Kokabiel stole the Excaliburs from the angels. He planned to bring it to devil territory in order to start a war. I got off my bed and was startled that I sensed an Excalibur near the school. I quickly headed out, in order to catch the thief. "Is this a smart idea?" Ddraig asked. "You haven't even mastered balance breaker yet."

"I can't let this chance slip by and go to waste," I replied.

"Very well then," Ddraig approved finally.

"Issei, what are you doing here, and where were you for the last week or so?" a familiar voice asked out of the blue. Kiba came running out of the school doors demanding an explanation. I decided to tell him most of the truth.

"I'm searching for an Excalibur wielder," I said dryly.

"Excalibur," he repeated. His usual upbeat personality completely disappeared. In its place was a look of despair and hatred, one he was familiar with. "Where is he," Kiba demanded angrily.

"Up ahead to the alley behind the mart," I replied. "Why do you want to know?" Kiba bolted towards the alley without answering my question.

"Thanks," he said quickly.

"Kiba what are you," I started. I knew I had to follow Kiba, so I tailed him. However, I lost him during one of the turns. To make things worse, I sense an additional two Excaliburs. I decided to follow the two hoping it gives me a better chance to find Kokabiel. "If you kill Kokabiel, I will despise you forever," I muttered to myself.

Kiba's Pov

I ran down the streets as fast as I could. Why would Issei know about an Excalibur wielder here? Why is he searching for the wielder? Is he one of us, a survivor, or has he sided with those who started the project? Or maybe, he's searching for someone either to ally with or to hunt down. These were the questions that kept repeating in my head over and over again. Either way, Rias needs to know about this. He reached the alleyway and heard a familiar voice. "Well if it isn't the pretty shitty devil again," Freed yelled. Surprisingly, no one turned to look.

"Ugh, so you really did escape," I complained. During our last encounter at the church, he threw a smoke bomb right when my sword hit him. "Well, shall we continue the match where we left off?" I asked.

"Certainly," he replied. "I have prepared for this moment." We clashed swords, but I felt something was wrong. Instead of holding my ground like the previous time, I slid back drastically. I checked his sword, and I felt anger surge through my body. Instead of wielding Shimmering Nightmare, he was holding Excalibur. "You finally noticed the change," he laughed. "This is Excalibur Nightmare. It brings out your worst fears, so let's find out what they are." His sword hit my shoulder blade, and I blacked out.

I saw myself as a young boy again. It was almost like watching myself in a movie. Although, it would become more like a horror flick later on. When I was six, I was brought to a church. Some of the children, like me, were picked to participate in a project known as Excalibur. We had to train night and day, both physically and in our faith. All of us wanted to be the chosen one by God. However, when we took the test to wield Excalibur, we all failed. When the project failed, they decided to dispose of us. They locked us in the room and poisoned us all. I was one of the few who survived the catastrophe. Ever since that day, I swore to destroy all seven Excalibur.

I dropped to my knees as I finally snapped out of it. I roared in pain as it felt like someone lit my arm on fire. The pain amplified from the traumatic experience I just revisited. I can feel light eating away at my soul. I couldn't move at all. How could I after seeing those events again? "Goodbye pretty devil boy," Freed laughed as he brought Excalibur down to finish me.


	6. Reunion

**I don't own anything from highschool DxD**

 **So, after this chapter, I'm most likely going to post every 2nd weekend from now on. Part of the reason is because I'm finished with all my pre-made chapters and I need to write out the chapters, and then edit them. The other reason is my hearthstone account is back up. I've been able to post without distractions because my hearthstone account has been disabled since late august. Now that it's back up, I need to catch up on the ladder(just for fun, I decided to put a quote from Hearthstone in this chapter. That would be the second reference to hearthstone in this story.). So in conclusion, expect a new chapter every 2nd weekend. I hope you enjoy this chapter(it's finally the reunion.)**

 **chuechu**

Kiba's Pov

There was a demonic symbol that appeared out of nowhere. A red beam of energy flashed out and hit Excalibur. Freed staggered back and gazed up before he turned his head the other way. "Well just my luck," Freed complained. "Two devils show up, and I'm being called back by my boss. You two are the luckiest devils around."

He threw his smoke bomb and fled the alley. Rias walked behind me and asked," did the Excalibur reinvigorate your memories?"

"Sadly yes," I replied. "I really didn't want to see them twice." Something else was bugging me now. His thoughts from before his encounter with Freed resurfaced. "Issei said he was searching for an Excalibur," I started. Does that mean he was searching for Freed? The only real reason he would ever do that is for revenge on what he did to Asia. However, why wasn't he here yet? He should have been right behind me. Rias gazed on thoughtfully as I told her about my speculations. It seemed like she had a much better understanding of the situation than I did.

"Thanks, you really helped me out," she said. "Let's get back to the clubroom." I couldn't help but feel that this Excalibur chase wouldn't end well.

Issei's Pov

I tailed the feeling of the two Excaliburs until I found them. Immediately, I realized that it was not Kokabiel as the two wore outfits similar to the one Asia would wear. "What do you want Red Dragon Emperor," one of them asked.

"What are you doing here?" I asked with a hint of curiosity. "There's a mass amount of devils and fallen angels here."

"We're here to retrieve Excalibur," a familiar voice explained. "If you get in our way, we will treat you like an enemy."

"Irina?" I wondered aloud suddenly. The second hooded woman looked up with a surprised, yet happy expression.

"Issei!" she called out happily as she ran up to hug me. I missed you."

"Who are you?" Xenovia interrupted.

"I am Hyoudou Issei, the current Red Dragon Emperor," I introduced myself formally.

"Are you working with the devils," Xenovia asked rudely.

"Xenovia," Irina scolded.

"What," Xenovia protested. "He was radiating devil energy."

"Issei would never work with the devils, not after what happened with him," Irina defended. I cleared my throat getting them to turn their attention on me.

"Xenovia is partially correct," I clarified. "Although I despise devils, there are a few examples. Sometimes, one is forced into being a devil whether for personal or physical reasons. The Gremory household has tried to change my outlook on devils. I decided to work with them for awhile to see if they could prove me wrong."

"I see," Xenovia muttered to herself quietly. "Will you arrange a meeting for us with the Gremories."

"I could, but it is wiser for you to consult Sona," I explained. "Rias is only the occult research club's president while Sona is the student council president." I gave them directions to Kuoh Academy, and then they prepared to leave. "One last thing," I added. "I have been discussing with a source and have found some information on who stole the Excaliburs."

"Who is this source, and is he reliable?" Xenovia questioned suspiciously.

"Azazel, the leader of the fallen's, have begun suspecting one of his subordinates," I answered. "Kokabiel has started to disobey him. He is stealing the Excaliburs, and bringing them to devil territory in order to spark a war.

"Ugh, when will Kokabiel give us a break," Irina whined. Anger surged through me once again. Did Kokabiel really plan that Irina and I would be here so he decided to come here over all the other devil strongholds?

"I see, in exchange for that information, I'll tell you the white dragon emperor has awakened," Xenovia informed. I looked up at the sky in thought. Everything was happening at the same time. The white dragon emperor, Kokabiel returning, and even Irina returning has put me over the edge. It was really overwhelming.

"I'll see you two at the meeting," I halfheartedly said bidding them farewell. When I reached home, I punched a wall in order to vent my anger.

"Issei, are you alright," Asia asked in concern.

"I'm fine," I lied.

"Where were you?" That was the primary question most members of the occult research club threw at me. "Is it true you went searching for the Excaliburs," Akeno asked.

"I will answer all your questions during the meeting," I said brushing off the questions.

"How did you know about the meeting?" a surprised Rias asked. "I was only informed of the meeting this morning."

"I met ups with my childhood friend along with her partner," I explained while holding the pendant up. "They wanted to see the devils in charge of the area, so I sent them to you and Sona." The door opened abruptly as Sona entered the room followed by the two exorcists.

"Hi everyone," Irina chirped cheerfully. "Hi Issei," she added on as if everyone needed to be reinforced that she and I were close.

I grinned and greeted her back. "It's good to see you're well."

"Hello, heir to the Gremory family," Xenovia greeted formally. As the meeting began, the tension started to build. The young exorcists stood opposite to Rias and her peerage. Sona, and I stood at the sides. I could feel the killing intent in the room, especially Kiba. I suppose that's what you get for bringing angels and devils in such close proximity.

""Is there any reason why Michael, the leader of the angels, would send two skilled exorcists wielding Excalibur to our territory," Rias questioned clearly annoyed.

"A few Excalibur's from our churches are missing," Xenovia started. "At first, we sent priests and bishops to investigate what happened to the Excaliburs, however, they never returned back. That's the reason why Michael had sent both Irina and me to retrieve the Excaliburs."

"Do you now which Excaliburs were stolen?" Kiba asked in a shaking voice. Xenovia paused, probably feeling Kiba's anger, but then continued.

"The ones that were stolen were Excalibur Rapidly, Excalibur Transparency, and Excalibur Nightmare," Xenovia answered.

"As of now, this was all we knew about the Excaliburs and their sudden disappearance," Irina continued where Xenovia left off. "However, it seemed Issei had some information as well, tell them Issei."

"I was first aware of this situation about a week ago by Azazel," I started getting slight gasps from the devils. "This should most likely not surprise you, as I am not partnered with a specific faction yet," I directed to the devils specifically. I honestly still could not understand how the devils were so surprised. It's not like I'm specifically working for any faction. In fact, I've got ties with all three now currently. Their reaction, especially from Rias's group, definitely did not please me. I'm working with Rias hoping that this would change my outlook on devils. However, it only seems to be helping at a minimal amount. "He told me the person who stole the Excaliburs because of my connections to the man in the past," I continued after the brief pause. A hint of anger could be heard in my voice, and some, like the popular blonde boy, seemed to notice. "Anyways, the person organizing this is Kokabiel, and his motives are pretty clear. He wants to start a war between the three factions again. By stealing the Excaliburs, he was hoping to bring the angels into war. He brought the war to here because it would force the devils to react. This city, especially Kuoh Academy, is filled with devils. They won't be able to ignore a war between the angels and the fallen's on their own turf. That is what Xenovia and Irina came here for," I concluded finally.

"We were hoping that you devils will not interfere with our conflict with the fallen angels," Xenovia requested.

"Are you suggesting that we would team up with the fallen angels?" Rias asked calmly although the devil energy around her said otherwise. "Considering you know who I am, you should have an answer already.

"I see," Xenovia muttered thoughtfully. "I guess we will take our leave now." While she was getting ready to leave, she saw Asia and raised an eyebrow. "Are you Asia Argento?" she asked curiously. Asia nodded her head slowly afraid of what the young exorcists might want from her.

"Eh!" Irina exclaimed in surprise. "You're the holy maiden that healed a devil."

"To think you would turn into a devil yourself," Xenovia clucked in disappointment. "Do you still believe in God?"

"She's a devil, there's no way she still believes in God," Irina cried out not understanding why Xenovia asked that question.

"Some devils and fallen angels regret what they did, and still believe in God," Xenovia explained to her partner.

"Yes I do," Asia answered. "Everyday, I try to pray and read the bible, even if it hurts because I'm a devil.

"In that case, if you die to Excalibur right now and sacrifice yourself to God, you shall be forgiven," Xenovia proposed. Asia looked like she didn't know what to do. Keep the second life she had, or earn forgiveness from God. Knowing her strong faith, I knew I had to act. Without thinking, I bowed my head down to the two exorcists causing many to be surprised and confused.

"Mistakes were made, and I am sorry about that," I said trying to improvise on what I had started. "That would have been along the lines of what Asia would have said and done if you had given her the chance," I continued adopting the same tone I used when addressing Riser. "However, you didn't give Asia the chance. When Asia accidentally healed a devil, you excommunicated her and cast her with the fallen angels. Now imagine Asia being in any other faction and healing an enemy. The fallen angels would have turned a blind eye. As much as I dislike the devils, their form of physical punishment is more reasonable in this situation.

"She made a big mistake healing the enemy," Xenovia countered.

"And you don't make mistakes," I cut in.

"I do," Xenovia admitted. "The lord has forgiven us though."

"Exactly," I pointed out. "If you genuinely repent for your sins to God, then he will forgive you. "In what way is Asia's situation different?" Xenovia paused as if wondering if there was a flaw in her accusation. "I believe there is nothing further to say, so I am leaving. There's too much tension in here anyways," I excused myself.

Sona's pov

Throughout the meeting, I remained quiet. There was a reason for this as my main goal was to observe Issei Hyoudou, Red Dragon Emperor. After hearing him well versed in the Bible and on friendly terms with Azazel, I became worried. The fact that he disliked us devils was an even more unsettling fact. He may be neutral for now, but if he were to join a faction, it would be either with angels or the fallen angels. I signaled to Rias to stay so I can discuss matters with her. I would rather strike the Red Dragon Emperor first than to get struck first.


	7. A break from chaos

**I do not own anything from high school dxd**

 **I know this is a bit short for me, but I procrastinate a lot. I mean at least I got it out on time. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **-chuechu**

Rias's Pov

"What did you want to discuss about," I asked even though I had a general idea of what it might be.

"Have you made a decision yet Rias," Sona persistently asked .

"I believe I do, even though it takes a huge risk," I replied.

"I think that you're choice is the most optimal for the current situation and how things have developed," Sona approved. "However, we shall wait until after Kokabiel has been defeated, as I suspect we will need the Red Dragon to defeat him.

"Understood," I affirmed. All I could do was hope our plan won't backfire.

Issei's pov

First Kokabiel, and now the white dragon emperor. I was lying down on my bed thinking about how bad my luck had been for the last few weeks. It was like someone brought my rng from games into reality. It was exhausting dealing with each big thing back to back. Raynare and Riser I could deal with. Now we add Kokabiel and the white dragon emperor. I knew I shouldn't have jumped into this mess. "Thank you Issei," the voice of the former maiden spoke to me. I opened my eyes and saw and saw Asia standing just outside my room.

"It wasn't that big of a deal," I said to her before cracking a smile. "Besides, what are friends for." She smiled back and was about to say something when the doorbell interrupted her.

"Hi Issei, a cheerful voice rang out.

"Hi Irina," I greeted trying to hide my stress. "Have you had any luck on finding Excalibur," I asked assuming that was why she came here.

"Sadly no," she responded. "What with Xenovia and I on the search, we're a bit short in numbers. However, Xenovia has managed to convince Yuuto Kiba to help with the search. We just need to allow him to destroy one Excalibur."

"In that case, allow me to join the search as well," I suggested.

"Are you sure?" Irina asked worriedly. "I mean, I know how you haven't gotten over the situation yet," she continued. "You seem to tense up every time someone mentions Kokabiel and," she ranted but was cut off.

"No," I said firmly. "I'm definitely sure. I loathe Kokabiel for what he did to us. Enough that I want a shot at revenge." She looked like she was concerned, but nodded anyways. We walked in silence for a while until Irina spoke up again.

"You know his death wasn't your fault." I didn't answer immediately. I didn't like being reminded of that incident.

"I did though," I whispered in a depressed voice. "You can't blame anyone else."

"Kokabiel pretty much forced you," Irina comforted. "There was no other option."

"Still," I murmured. Up ahead, I could see Xenovia and Kiba immersed in an intense conversation. "You were part of the Holy Sword project!" Xenovia exclaimed.

"Wait, hold up," I stopped them. "Whats this about the holy sword project."

Xenovia quickly summed up Excalibur's origins, as well as Kiba's involvement. Everything started making sense. Kiba's sudden interest in Excalibur's location. Him volunteering willingly to search for Excalibur. We were searching for Excalibur while these thoughts ran through my head. Not a minute had passed, and we ran into our first obstacle. "Well isn't it my lucky day," Freed screeched. "Well met to you shitty devils and exorcist."


	8. Escalating

**I do not own anything from high school dxd**

"You again," Kiba protested in an exasperated voice. "Seriously, can't you must leave us alone. I'm tired of hearing your stupid voice.

"No can do," hollered Freed. "My boss told me I get the prize of your heads when I kill you." Suddenly, he appeared behind Kiba and tried to hit him. Xenovia rushed over to block the blade. "Excalibur Destruction," Freed murmured. "I wouldn't mind taking that." His shape blurred until he could not be seen by others.

"That's the power of rapidly and transparency," I noted in amazement. Freed's blade was blocked again. This time it was Irina. Her mimic stretched out like a longsword in order to block Freed from taking destruction. Freed staggered back slightly, his eyes tinged blood red.

"I see you are having a bit of trouble Freed," a voice came out from hiding.

"You," Kiba said with hatred for the second time this hour.

"Ah," the old man spoke. "Might you be a survivor from the project?"

"You killed so many innocent lives," Kiba spat out bitterly.

"Ah yes," the old man muttered in thought. "That was quite regrettable. However, it was necessary for the greater good."

"Who is this," I asked Xenovia.

"That is Valper Galilei, the mastermind behind project Excalibur," she explained.

"Once Excalibur is created, an order will be restored to the world," Valper announced. "There will be no more conflict in this imperfect world."

"He doesn't seem too bad," I whispered to Xenovia.

"His intentions are well, but his methods are horrendous," Xenovia replied.

"You, my young friend may think of me as a villain, but I am actually a prophet," Valper ranted on. "God has chosen me to help change the world for the better."

"You slaughtered them," Kiba spat out in disgust. "Speaking about God when you are killing the innocent in a blink of an eye. Like its okay to throw humans, no children, into a torture chamber is ridiculous!" Kiba thrusted forward but was parried by Freed.

"No you don't," Freed laughed. Lightning crackled down from the sky angrily narrowly missing Freed. A red beam flashed over his head as a sign of warning.

"Why are you here Kiba," Rias asked in an annoyed tone. "I did not give you permission to join this utter chaos."

"There's no choice for me," Kiba told her. "Everything I've done in my past was working towards this moment. Being able to avenge my companions who died in that tragic incident was my lifelong goal."

"You still were not permitted to go," she stated firmly. "It could be dangerous. We'll have to treat you like a stray.

"So be it then," Kiba retorted back sharply. Of to the side, Valper silently walked to Freed and gave him the signal to leave.

"But I was having so much fun," Freed whined. "Well, see you shitty devils later."

"We should also leave as well," advised Akeno.

"Alright Akeno," Rias agreed reluctantly. "Kiba, Issei, you should really start coming to school again."

"Fine," Kiba replied.

"I'm fine with that too," I replied. With only three people on the search, I highly doubt we could fend off Valper, Freed, and Kokabiel if he shows up.

"Alright then, see you," Akeno said and they disappeared.

The next day, I got called into the principal's office. I expected it had something to do with Excalibur considering Kiba was also headed to that direction. When we got there, the rest of the ORC members were waiting. The student council members were pacing back and forth nervously.

"What's the problem," I asked timidly.

"Freed, Valper and Kokabiel gave us a warning," Sona explained. "In half an hour, they'll launch an attack on this school. I've dismissed the rest of the students to get them out of danger." True enough, students were flooding the hallways excited about their early dismissal.

"So what's the plan," I asked.

"We'll hold up a barrier in order to protect the school," Sona explained. "Kiba, along with the rest of the ORC except Issei deals with Freed and Valper. Issei, with the two exorcists, will deal with Kokabiel.

"But," Irina stammered but was cut off by a whizzing sound. Shimmering Midnight was sticking out of the wall inches above her head.

"Glad you could join us in this fun," Freed yelled through a microphone. "Hand over the remaining Excalibur's.


	9. Inner Struggles

**I do not own anything from highschool dxd**

 **I felt bad about how the last few chapters were my shortest chapters in the story, so I decided that this one would be my longest so far. After this chapter, I might have to take a bit longer to get out the next few chapters because I'm planning to finally reveal Issei's past clearly. I'm thinking two chapters for the flashback then one to finish the Excalibur arc and were moving on to my version of the peace treaty arc which will be much more different. For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **chuechu**

Kiba's Pov

Damn, he never gives us a break. He just keeps coming back over and over, and it's really getting stale. With him, was Valper and Kokabiel. Without thinking, I threw my sword at Valper in spite. I knew it wasn't the best idea, but it felt good venting a bit of my anger. Freed, as expected, easily deflected the sword.

"What was that," Freed laughed trying to breathe normally. Who knew, maybe I could kill him with humour although that's not likely.

"Kiba, what were you thinking!" Rias scolded. He looked around only to realize that they were outside luring out Kokabiel.

"A yes," Freed sighed with admiration. "You won't be worthy enough to be killed by the boss. I guess I'll have to do it myself. Kiba felt a sharp pain as the side of his arm got grazed by Excalibur. It looked different from before, a lot more solidified. "Finally," Freed said with an annoyed expression. "How hard is it to get your attention." His eyes followed my line of sight before bursting into a grin. "I see you noticed this beauty," he showed off raising the sword a little higher. "That's right, I combined the three Excalibur's that I possessed. I was hoping to add those two to my collection," he added pointing to Irina and Xenovia.

"Could you just stop talking for a moment," I complained. I was getting really tired of his voice.

"Well would you rather hear from him instead," Freed sneered pointing at Valper. I glared at him with a stare that could intimidate most individuals.

"How about neither," I replied.

"Well nice to see you again too I guess," Valper greeted with patience. I wanted to wipe that smile off his face with another sword, but I didn't want to be reckless again.

"Just because you're acting nice does not mean that you're crimes are forgotten," I retorted back.

"You just don't understand," Valper started. "I didn't want to kill those kids. However, considering how everything ended, it was the only choice left.

"You could have just not killed them," I mumbled bitterly.

"You would have told others about the failure," Valper pointed out. "No one would fund for my project anymore or help test things out."

"So you had that little faith in us," Kiba spat out in disgust.

"No!" Valper hurriedly cleared up. "We had to be careful, though. You might have accidently spilled it out. You know what, considering you're so fed up about this, here's a present. He handed me a blue crystal with a mischievous grin.

"Is that what I think it is," Kiba whispered in horror.

"Yes," Valper verified. "That is what remains of your friends. Normally, I'd use these crystals to help reforge Excalibur, but I couldn't do it this time. I feel like you would make better use of them than I would." I barely heard what he said. My mind was still filled with shock from seeing everyone again. Without noticing, a tear rolled down my face towards the crystal. I felt like I was living through the experience a third time. Anyone would be traumatized by that. The crystal glowed and mirages of the dead appeared before me.

"You can beat him," one encouraged.

"We believe in you," another chimed in.

"What's there to lose," another added. They all encouraged and empowered me with their strength.

"We'll always be here for you," they all said. Suddenly, the crystal spun violently sucking in all the mirages before revealing a sword. The sword had a demonic colour. Black wings surrounded the base while a holy glow radiated off of it. With the help of my fellow friends, I managed to create this masterpiece.

"Trio," Valper looked on in awe. "I must have made the right decision then. To give you the crystals allowed you to produce something almost on the same power level as Excalibur."

"But, how," I stuttered. I didn't understand how the product from the crystals could carry aspects from all three major factions. Maybe we're not so divided than we think. Here we're seeing a fallen angel working for the ideals of angels. We see Issei ally with all three factions without an issue. Maybe one day, the three factions will unite and come up with a treaty.

"You ready to fight me yet?" Valper asked patiently.

"Wait, wait, wait," Freed whined. "I thought the boss wanted me to finish him off."

"Fine," Valper sighed before turning back to me.

"Sorry for the delay, but you'll have to beat Freed here first," he explained. Without a word, I lunged forward at Freed. He sidestepped and struck forward. The black wings shone, as I leaped higher than normal to avoid the quick invisible blade. Freed dashed forward with Rapidly's power and struck me. The blade grazed my side, but I managed to slice off his arm. I channeled a bit of holy energy to the wound to increase the pain. Freeds screams shattered the night sky, begging for this to stop.

"Alright Valper," it's your turn now. I charged forward but he just stood there smiling. He stared up at the sky as if praying to God one last time.

"I think the time has come for me to repent my sins," Valper muttered. "Excalibur was a failure and what I did to get it was horrendous." With that, he charged right into my blade and lay there lifeless. I was shocked. My anger that I held in my body for years was finally flowing out. I stood there as I watched the lifeless body of Valper. Even though I was glad he was dead, some part of me wished he was still alive.

Rias Pov

"Did we leave anyone," I asked as we retreated outside. We wanted to avoid destroying the school. Sure Sona was putting up a barrier, but it may not be enough to stop Kokabiel and Excalibur at all.

"Kiba," Akeno muttered quietly. I took a quick glance back to see Kiba attempting to hit Valper with his sword but failed.

"Kiba, what were you thinking!" I scolded. He looked around like he finally realized he's left alone to face both Valpar and Freed. I turned my attention to Kokabiel, who was casually making his way outside.

"You can't run forever," Kokabiel taunted. He snapped his fingers, and a giant creature appeared behind us. A three-headed dog that radiated fire. "Meet my pet Cerberus," Kokabiel cackled. "Try to get through this wall." I felt like we already lost. A giant Cerberus, and we still have to beat Kokabiel. This fight is looking hopeless. Akeno managed to hit it a few times with lightening, but it's not going to be enough.

"We didn't plan for this," I muttered through gritted teeth. I continued relentlessly attacking and slowly chipping away at it. Koneko got up close and managed to climb on top of the Cerberus and started beating it. Issei, the exorcists, and Asia were dealing with Kokabiel, so I couldn't ask for their assistance. The Cerberus shook its body violently trying to throw off Koneko. She gripped with all her might as Akeno and I kept hitting it with long range attacks. Finally, the Cerberus threw Koneko off of its back. Koneko landed with a thud. One of the heads prepared to launch an attack on her, but was distracted by the lightning that keeps on pounding him. I kept on sending out giant waves of demonic energy over and over again. The Cerberus started showing small signs of fatigue. This felt like playing an MMO where you're challenging a boss that's much higher leveled than you are. It's ridiculously hard to win, but this isn't a game. Suddenly, one of the heads jerked toward me and spewed fire from its mouth. I sent a quick pulse of energy to nullify the impact. I felt the side of my face burn from the flames. The pain was almost unbearable. The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that we had Asia to heal us back up. I concentrated my remaining strength and shot a red beam of energy at the Cerberus. For the first time, it staggered back. Akeno and Koneko took full advantage of this, not allowing the Cerberus to stabilize. Finally, the Cerberus was beaten. I turned to try to find the others, but they were not there.

"Where did they go?" I asked looking around.

"Kokabiel," Koneko said.

Issei's Pov

Kokabiel summoned the Cerberus for Rias, Akeno, and Koneko to deal with while we kept on luring him further from the school. It took all my self-control to not be reckless like Kiba. I was itching to give Kokabiel a beat down, but I'm not that strong. I haven't even revisited my balance breaker after the last time I used it. It wasn't worth the risk, so I am limited to my normal boosted gear form. We finally stopped and let Kokabiel catch up in an unpopulated area.

"That's depressing," Kokabiel sighed. "I was expecting more of a challenge." He glanced through us and stopped when he saw Irina and I. "I guess it is fate that we see each other again, isn't that right red dragon emperor and his companion."

I gritted my teeth stopping a retort from coming out of my mouth. "Nice to see you too Kokabiel," I said with a hint of hatred in my voice. As hard as I tried, I couldn't keep all of my rage contained. Kokabiel smiled at my greeting while walking closer to us.

"You did quite a lot to my assassins didn't you," Kokabiel recounted innocently. "Why don't you show us that balance breaker one more time." Irina didn't allow me to respond by charging recklessly towards Kokabiel. A good thing too, because I was about to lose it. Kokabiel shot out lightning with a flick of his hand. Asia dived in and pushed Irina from the now smoldering crater. As much as I hated Kokabiel, he was strong. There was no easy way to beat him.

"Hopefully that taught you that interrupting is rude," Kokabiel said. "So what do you say we finish this up?" he asked me. I knew I wasn't ready, but saying no to Kokabiel is also not an option either. "Boost." I answered him by boosting myself immediately.

"That's fine," Kokabiel yawned with no worry. "I'll let you boost up to your max first." "Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost." I knew even at max, he could easily kill me. The one chance we would have to win was to all launch an attack on him. The only issue there would be the risk for their lives. I didn't want a repeat from last time. "Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Max Boost." "Flare." I hesitated, knowing charging in would result in a quick loss. His expression made me eager to rush in. To get revenge after all those years of waiting. I charged in knowing that this was going to be useless. If anything, I'll die because of my decision. Kokabiel smirked and summoned a light spear readying for my attack. The collision force pushed me back more than it should have. I stumbled backward while Kokabiel looked unfazed. He laughed as he saw me slowly trying to get up.

"You young ones always manage to amuse me," Kokabiel laughed. "A little provocation, and you'll be running into death. He slowly formed a light spear continuing to taunt me. He laughed as he brought the spear down at him. A flash lit up right in front of me. The light spear shattered in half with Kokabiel staring in shock.

"That's what you get for boasting, said Irina with a grin on her face. In her hand, Excalibur Mimic had turned into a Katana in order to cut the light spear.

"I told you not to interrupt!" Kokabiel roared.

"Catch me if you can," Irina laughed lightheartedly.

I watched hopefully as Kokabiel chased Irina like a cat chasing the mouse. Irina kept on dodging those light spears with graceful movements. Kokabiel stopped suddenly, replacing his scowl with a mischievous smile.

"Before I kill all of you, I'm going to tell you something a normal person would never know," Kokabiel announced. "God is dead!"

"What," Irina and Xenovia stuttered.

"You heard me right," Kokabiel continued. "God is dead!" Irina suddenly collapsed only to be caught by Xenovia.

"Asia, quickly heal her," Xenovia ushered. She wasted no time getting to where Irina was. I stared in horror not being able to do anything. I was clearly outmatched when I fought Kokabiel before. Unless... I looked around the room. Irina laying on the floor being healed by Asia. Xenovia, trying her best to hold off Kokabiel. I thought back to what happened last time after using balance breaker. My mind was torn. What should I do?


	10. Reminiscing Pt1

**I do not own anything from highschool dxd**

 **First off, I'd like to apologize for my absence. Things got really busy for me in the last month. Now a bit of good news is that I'm on Christmas break which means more time to write. I'm going to write more frequently for the remainder of December and early January. However, late January and early February are midterms so I'll stop writing then. After that is science fair so I might have to take another two-month break from this story. For now though, I hope you enjoy the chapter**

 **chuechu**

"I'm going to see Ikei," Issei yelled as he left

his house.

"Alright then, have fun," his mom called back. He rushed down the sidewalk to get to the park as fast as he could. It was the last day Ikei was going to be in Japan before he moved to Italy due to his father's business. He wanted to spend as much time with him before he moved away. He slowed down as he neared the park. Amongst the birds chirping, he could hear his two friends.

"You have to tell him," Ivanno persisted. He had always been careful and composed. When requests someone to do something, it usually has a purpose. Perhaps through curiosity, Issei walked slowly with caution to not be seen.

"I know, but I don't know how he will react," Ikei replied with a sigh obviously torn on what to do. "I don't want him to treat me differently."

"He'll react the same as I did," Ivanno predicted. "Maybe a little surprised, but then not care in the end. It's not that big of a deal either."

"Hey Ikei, Ivanno," Issei greeted them getting their attention.

"Hey Issei," Ivanno started. "Ikei has something to tell you." Ikei glared at him before turning back to me.

"I'm actually a," he started but was interrupted by an explosion. Ivanno grabbed them both and dove behind a bench. A crater was shown where they had just been standing. Issei glanced at the cause of the explosion. Two men in hooded cloaks were standing on the edge of the park. From what he could see, they were unarmed. How could they have done that with their bare hands. Suddenly, they started gliding towards them. Issei shook his head, wait they were gliding?

"You sure they're here?" one of them asked.

"I sensed their presence," the other one muttered. His head jerked towards the three kids. A mysterious gleam shone in his eyes as he nudged his partner pointing towards the bench. A black circle formed beneath the trio. Ivanno pushed the two away narrowly escaping.

"I see you have finally shown yourselves," the first one commented. "It's a shame we'll have to kill you without introductions." A dark ball of energy shot out from his partner's hand. Ivanno quickly materialized a barrier blocking the shot.

"Run," He grunted. "Take Ikei with you and get out of here. I can handle these two by myself." Issei stood there for a second trying to comprehend what was going on. It was almost as if fantasy had become reality. He gazed at his friend wondering if he had ever really known him. His true personality behind the gentle smile and his pacifist ways. He took hold of Ikei's hand and started running in the opposite direction of the fight.

"Where are we going?" Ikei asked.

"I don't know," Issei replied. "Away from here." They continued running in silent. They shoved our way through crowds of people in order to get away from the park. Finally, they ran out of breath.

"You think we're safe," Ikei gasped obviously struggling to talk. Issei nodded his head. Once they caught their breath, they continued at a slower pace.

"About earlier," Ikei started suddenly. "I was trying to tell you that I'm not Ikei, but a girl named Irina." Issei closed his eyes and sighed. The last hour had been exhausting for me. Magic being real, the chase and now his best friends hiding secrets from him. He gave out a dry laughter. It was also on the last day Ikei, or Irina, would be in Japan.

"I didn't mean to hide it from you," Irina stuttered. His phone suddenly vibrated. He looked at the phone and a message popped up. If you want to see your friend alive, come to the factory near the park.


	11. Reminiscing Pt2

**I do not own highschool dxd**

 **Welp, I'm back, and I'm still going. A bad case of writer's block, procrastination and just being busy with exams and other stuff had led me to put this story on hold. I'm gonna try to finish this story(which for some reason I feel like is gonna be long considering we haven't even gotten to the main plot twist from the original series. I just feel it necessary to build the characters and maybe switch some stuff here and there.) Just as a new warning, something like that break may happen again suddenly(I hate procrastination but I feel like it's necessary). I hope you enjoy.**

 **chuechu**

Issei groaned as he stared at his phone. It seemed like he'll never get a break today. One surprise or revelation after another. It was getting real old if you asked him. Without another look, he headed to the factory. Irina tagged along not saying anything. What started off as a normal day could be now marked as the most confusing day of his life yet. Up ahead he could see the factory that loomed over apartments as if they were ant hills. "It sure is gigantic," Issei noted aloud to no one in particular.

"It sure is," Irina agreed quickly. She was just happy that he was talking to her again, even if it was indirect. They entered the building quietly trying not to be heard. A gust of wind hit them as they entered. Vast open nothingness greeted them immediately. The only thing they found was an old staircase that led them down. When they reached the bottom, they were greeted by two more men in dark cloaks.

"We've been waiting for you," the first one spoke.

"It's depressing our boss gave us such an easy task," the other chimed in. "I was hoping to take on Sir Zechs or Michael. I feel quite insulted when my only task is to stop two children." He stepped forward and a dark sphere sprang from his fingertips.

"Great, another magic user," Issei complained aloud. Without responding, the hooded men threw the ball at Issei who barely managed to sidestep it. Irina moved to the left as a sphere went her way. Unfortunately, she dove towards the other hooded men. The man picked her up by her collar and smirked at her partner.

"We got our target, now quickly finish off the straggler. Issei was enraged at this point. Everything that had happened before had nearly broken Issei. A flash appeared before Issei's eyes and then he was knocked unconscious. He appeared in a pitch black room floating around in no particular direction.

'Wait, floating?' Then he looked in front of him, and he saw a pair of red glowing eyes. Issei almost blacked out from the creature standing before him.

"I didn't mean to scare you there young boy," a wise ancient voice bellowed out.

"Who are you?" Issei asked cowering in fear.

"I didn't mean to appear so suddenly. In fact, I wish I could have shown myself gradually to you. However, you have been abruptly been introduced to this world so I have no other choice. I am Ddraig, one of the heavenly dragons in this world. I have resided in your body since you were born." Issei started at him in disbelief. 'This heavenly dragon was inside me,' he thought. He made a mental note to take the next few days to just rest. Seriously, he just wants to rest.

"Why do you show yourself now then?" Issei asked warily.

"As of now, you cannot win a fight against these devils," Ddraig informed.

'Devils?'

"I am here to make you an offer," Ddraig proposed. "In order for me to give you power, sacrifices need to be made. In this case, give me your left hand." Issei wasn't sure what that meant. Did he mean cut it off and hand it to him? Maybe Ddraig will possess his left hand. Either way, Issei didn't like the sound of it. He thought back to Irina being taken. Ivanno stalling the devils so that they could run.

"Alright sure," Issei replied after a slight hesitation. The red eyes disappeared for a moment before reappearing on his left arm. Along with him came a gauntlet.

"This is the boosted gear," Ddraig informed. "It will boost your power when you're in a fight. When your experience grows you'll learn more secrets from the gear." Just like that Issei found himself back to the factory. "Boost" That was the first thing he heard when he reached the factory. The two devils stared back at him with fear in their eyes. Issei was completely confused. They could easily stop him moments ago, but as soon as his gear activated, they seemed to be downright afraid. "Boost" They charged up a pulse of energy and shot it at him. He dodged much quicker than he normally could have. He launched himself forward, tackling one of the dark magic users. His partner tried to pry him off but it was useless. "Boost" He thrashed out at his prey realizing that physical combat was their weakness. After knocking the first unconscious, he turned his attention to his partner. However, he had long since disappeared from the fight after seeing what had just happened. Irina looked in shock from the sidelines and with a tinge of fright.

"You know, this wasn't exactly how the boosted gear was intended to work," Ddraig said after remaining in silence during the slaughter. "You should have activated dragon shot for your main offensive plays opposed to physical combat." Issei stood there, wondering what he had just done. Without thinking, he obliterated to devils as if it was natural to him. He could understand Irina being a bit scared of him in his current state. He himself was a bit wary of his newfound power. He gestured to Irina in silence towards the door at the end of the corridor. They snuck up and opened the door. Ivanno was tied up and gagged in a chair. He had a scar across his face. His head was slung down, and his hands were bleeding. Beside him were devils from earlier.

"You actually came," the first laughed. "Didn't think you had the guts to come. My mistake, you must be stupider than you look." He knocked Ivanno in the back of his head with his hand. His partner stood in front like a bodyguard. Grinning like he just got served a platter of food after not eating for over two days. "Boost" Unlike the last two devils Issei fought, these two didn't care about the new power he gained. 'Time to prove them wrong,' Issei thought. "Dragon shot" It was his first time trying out this attack. Considering what he could do with his bare hands after a boost, this should be easy. An orange ball of fire shot out from his palms directed to the devil in front of him. However, contradictory to what he expected, the shot evaporated once touching him. "What," Issei muttered in disbelief. The man laughed as he looked on at the two confused children.

"A little magic resistance spell goes a long way," He told them. "You kind of need it, if your gonna travel through hell. I suppose I should take the offensive now shouldn't I." Two ghostly black hands shot out and held them against the wall. Issei struggled against them, but couldn't get free. "Now that you're out of the way, lets see you cry as we beat up your friend here." The second devil shot out a black beam of light at Ivanno once he had spoken. A strangled cry came out from the young beaten up boy. His voice hoarse from the many previous cries of pain he let out. Blood trickled down from his lips, adding to the pool beneath him. After all Issei has been through, it wasn't surprising he reached his breaking point. Seeing his friends being taken from him constantly, pulled into a world he was unfamiliar with, and now seeing his friend die before his eyes. A rush of anger surged through him and he yelled, "Balance Breaker" despite not knowing what it was. With his last bit of strength fading away from him, he blacked out.

Issei woke up in an unfamiliar place. He looked around the room. White walls surrounded him along with a blue curtain blocking the entrance. Irina looked down worriedly.

"Where am I?" Issei asked.

"You're at a hospital," Irina responded. She obviously seemed worried, yet there was a hint of fear in her face.

"What happened?" Issei asked. The last thing he remembered was Ivanno getting beaten up. "Where's Ivanno?" He knew he was bombarding Irina with questions, but he needed to know what was going on.

"Ivanno's," Irina started but broke into tears before she could finish. "You went into juggernaut drive and lost control. Juggernaut drive, Issei had never heard it before but he didn't need to. He had a suspicion in what juggernaut drive was. "He's dead," she finally stated. Issei shook his head and a small hoarse laugh crept out of his mouth.

"Dead," he repeated. His hand trembled as he said it. "I killed him didn't I." It wasn't easy, knowing he had just killed a friend. All the other moments that happened before faded away. All the previous things that had made him feel bad didn't seem to matter anymore.

"It wasn't your fault," Irina comforted with a wavering tone. "It was an accident." These words barely made it into Issei's head.

'It seems like nothing I do is right,' he thought. 'Maybe I should correct myself, learn from my mistake.' Never touch balance breaker again. It was a personal rule he created for himself in vain for his mistake that took his friend's life. Never again in the consecutive years will he think about it at all. Never again.


End file.
